A Giants offensive line that struggled so mightily last week that coach Tom Coughlin described the ineffective running game as “pathetic,’’ has lost its young cornerstone left tackle, Will Beatty, who will spend Thanksgiving morning in surgery to repair a detached retina and will be out indefinitely.
This latest injury news came as a shock to the Giants. Beatty battled through some back problems last week but was able to start and finish last Sunday’s 17-10 loss to the Eagles.
Beatty went for tests on his back and no structural damage was found. He also came out of the game with some blurred vision in his right eye. He had his eye checked out yesterday and the detached retina was discovered.
Riding a two-game losing streak into Monday night’s game in New Orleans, the Giants are in full midstream adjustment mode. All indications are Beatty’s injury will trigger two moves along the line, with David Diehl moving outside from left guard to fill Beatty’s vacated left tackle spot. This is nothing new for Diehl and in fact it is something very familiar. He was the starting left tackle for the past four years — including the 2007 Super Bowl season. Diehl’s left guard spot is expected to be filled by reserve Kevin Boothe, who has started three games this season, two at center and one at right guard.
The Giants after two days off return to practice today and the reconfigured offensive line will try to come together as quickly as possible. The positive for the Giants is that Diehl and Boothe are savvy veterans who should be able to acclimate quickly to their new surroundings.
While the line begins to take shape, Beatty will undergo surgery. The procedure to re-attach the retina will be performed by Dr. Donald J. D’Amico, professor and chairman of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medical College and Ophthalmologist-in-Chief at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. The Giants are stating a timeframe for Beatty’s recovery will be established following his post-operation consultation with D’Amico.
Beatty obviously won’t make the trip to New Orleans for Monday night’s game against the Saints and could be out anywhere from a few weeks to the remainder of the season, depending on the extent of the damage and how the surgery goes.
Beatty, 26, started all 10 games this season, his third with the Giants, after he was handed the left tackle job this past summer. He has put in a solid first season as a starter, as his athletic ability has been evident in pass blocking against some of the NFL’s top pass-rushers. Run blocking has at times been a problem for Beatty and the entire offensive line, as the Giants are averaging 83.2 yards per game, which is 31st in the league and the lowest average for the franchise since 1945.
Last week, with the starting line intact, the Giants managed to produce only 29 rushing yards against the Eagles, prompting Coughlin to call out the offensive line and utter the “pathetic’’ description for its play.
This figures to be a blow to the offensive line and the entire offense, a unit that was unable to mount any consistent attack last week and produced only one touchdown. Beatty played in that game despite his back issue and right guard Chris Snee was battling through what Coughlin described as “what amounted to food poisoning.’’ Snee said during the game he was dehydrated and cramping up as he got sick between plays.
“He’s fighting his way back from that,’’ Coughlin said. “He’s feeling better. I don’t know if’s he’s completely eliminated the issue. I know his appetite has returned and that’s a good thing.’’